Many people are unaware of how their insurance policies can come in handy when they have been involved in a very specific accident. Picture this: You’re driving along when, all of a sudden, you are struck by another vehicle. Now you are left with injuries and you aren’t sure how to recover. But things are about to get worse because you find out that the driver who hit and injured you does not have insurance, or they have poor insurance coverage. We can help you understand underinsured and uninsured policies and how they can come in handy in regards to your claim.
Understanding Both Types of Coverage
Perhaps you have never heard of underinsured or uninsured coverage or you are familiar with exactly how it works. Today we will help you understand both.
Uninsured Coverage: Uninsured motorist coverage kicks in when a driver hits you and they don’t have any insurance coverage whatsoever. Your first thought might be: I want to sue the driver for the accident and attempt to recover any damages possible. However, think of it this way… If the driver does not have insurance, they probably don’t have much in the way of financial assets, which means that you won’t gain what you want in recovery. This means that you will be left making an uninsured driver claim against your own policy so that you can receive what you deserve.
Underinsured Coverage: Underinsured coverage works a bit differently because it kicks in when the driver does have car insurance, but it is insufficient and will not cover you. You would, again, make a claim against your own insurance company for the limit of your coverage provided your policy coverage is better than the coverage that the negligent driver carries. This works wonderfully in cases where the driver’s insurance will only cover up to $100,000 of your damages, but your damages are well over $300,000. You cannot force coverage that is simply not there, so you could have your own policy kick in when they can no longer pay you.
Making Your Claim
Drivers must be insured, which is why it is taken very seriously when a driver hits you and was driving around without insurance. You don’t want to delay when you’re making your claim because it is not unheard of for very short deadlines to be in place. You may have as little as 30 days to let your insurance company know that the driver was driving with no insurance or little insurance coverage. The best way to tell that the other party is probably uninsured is when they outright tell you that they don’t have any car insurance or when they refuse to give you their information in the event of an accident.
Sometimes, it is impossible to tell the extent of your injuries right off the bat. This is why you want to keep up with medical attention and ensure that you do everything your doctor and attorney asks you to do during this time. It can help out your claim in the months to come. We have your best interests at heart and want to speak with you immediately at the Nye Law Group. We work with the insurance companies in your case to get you the best results, and we don’t want you to miss out on the damages you deserve. Give us a call today for more information at 855-636-9277.
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If you live in a no-fault car insurance state, such as Florida or Pennsylvania, you will find that you have to look at your own insurance policy when it comes to economic losses and recovery. This is the case even when the other driver is at fault for an accident. However, North Carolina does not work the same way; they are an at-fault state in a traditional sense, which means that the insurance policy of the other driver is supposed to cover your losses like medical expenses, lost wages, and more. What happens if the other driver is uninsured, though, and now you aren’t sure how you’re going to recover? 
